The Five Protective Factors
Promoting the Five Protective Factors

This chapter provides background and guidance for service providers and others on exploring each of the five protective factors with parents. Each protective factor is addressed individually, and for each one you will find:

• Brief background on why the protective factor is important for strengthening families and reducing the risk of abuse or neglect
• Areas to explore with parents as you both identify strengths and needs, and questions for parents to consider that will facilitate the dialogue
• Strategies and resources that may serve to strengthen families

For each protective factor, the focus is on helping parents identify and build on their strengths and on empowering them to identify strategies for enhancing their parenting capacity. This provides the foundation for the provider to work in partnership with the parent and family to explore opportunities for supporting the family.

The resources and suggestions provided in this chapter are just a starting point for developing the parent-provider partnership. Other considerations are equally important. For example, the parent and provider should find a mutually comfortable place to meet, such as the parent's home, a coffee shop, a picnic bench in a nearby park, or at a religious institution or school. A casual setting may facilitate a more friendly and conversational discussion.

The five protective factors covered in this chapter are:

• Nurturing and attachment — The importance of early bonding, as well as nurturing throughout childhood. Building a close bond helps parents better understand, respond to, and communicate with their children.
• Knowledge of parenting and of child and youth development — Information about what to anticipate as children develop and strategies for effective parenting. Parents learn what to look for at each age and how to help their children reach their full potential.
• Parental resilience — How parents' ability to cope and problem solve affects their ability to deal effectively with everyday stress or a major crisis. Recognizing the signs of stress and knowing what to do about it can help parents build their capacity to cope.
• Social connections — Identifying ways to help parents expand their social networks to build a broader base of parenting support. Parents with an extensive network of family, friends, and neighbors have better support in times of need.
• Concrete supports for parents — Finding out what basic resources are available in the community and how to access them to address family-specific needs. Caregivers with access to financial, housing, and other concrete resources that help them meet their basic needs can better attend to their role as parents.

For more information on protective factors that reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect, visit the Child Welfare Information Gateway web page on Protective Factors: